DESTIN, Florida -- Nick Saban has yet to face Jadeveon Clowney since he signed with South Carolina in 2011, and he likely won't ever have to game-plan for the star defensive end unless the Gamecocks and Crimson Tide square off in the 2013 SEC Championship.

Still, the Alabama coach has seen enough from the player he nearly wooed to Tuscaloosa a little more than two years ago.

"I think he's a fantastic player and I think he's the most dominant player in our league, especially on defense," Saban said Tuesday at the SEC's spring meetings. "He plays a position where you can disrupt the game and he certainly does that extremely well. It was no surprise to me. We thought he was the best player in the country and was going to be this kind of player."

Clowney had the Crimson Tide in his final two before he announced his commitment to South Carolina in February 2011. At the time, he had some less-than-flattering things to say about Saban and said he would have committed to the Crimson Tide if it ran a 4-3 defense rather than a 3-4.

Clowney, though, has thrived in his first two years with the Gamecocks and is projected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He set South Carolina single-season records with 13 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in 2012.

He enters the 2013 season with lofty expectations and many projecting him to be in the mix for the Heisman trophy. Saban compared him to longtime NFL defensive end Jason Taylor because of his long frame (6-foot-6, 256 pounds) and instinctive nature.

"He's done a fantastic job at South Carolina of developing and maturing into a consistently fantastic dominating guy that is very disruptive to the game," Saban said. "It's no surprise to me. I have a lot of respect for him and what he's been able to do. I think he's going to have a great career."